Love's Labour Found
by dshell99
Summary: When Kevin and Edd first start dating, a terrible accident could end them. But Edd's not going to give up. In the end, Kevin wants to make sure that he NEVER gives up. Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd and Eddy. I only own my plot.


Edd took a deep breath as he stood on his front porch before steeling his nerves and walking across the street to knock on the door of the Barr family home.

"'Sup, Babe?," Kevin asked cheerfully when he answered the door. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"That's the thing, Kevin. I kinda need a ride," Edd said sheepishly.

Kevin couldn't stop his grin. Edd had a love/hate relationship with his motorcycle that rivaled nothing else anyone had ever seen. When Kevin's dad, who had his own Deep Jade Pearl on Velocity Black Sportster 1200 Harley, got Kevin his Velocity Red Street 750 for his 16th birthday, Edd's _concern_ only rivaled Kevin's mother's. The genius could spot off accident and insurance statistics that came with owning such a mode of transportation at a record clip. And he would every chance he got.

 _"Wanna ride?,"_ Kevin asked him after he went on his first tangent to Kevin about owning his own personal _death trap._

 _"God, yes."_

The two boys had been doing a flirtatious dance for the better part of a _semester_ at this point and that ride sealed the deal. Edd still prefers his car.

But his mother has taken his car into the shop for a regularly scheduled oil change. His father was supposed to pick her up and bring her back home on his lunch break, and then she would take Edd to work to for his 3-close shift. But when she got called into the hospital as well to help with a pediatric heart transplant, he father brought her in leaving Edd stranded because she took the spare set of keys to her car with her.

Since they started dating, Edd has come to depend on Kevin for just about everything. He was there for the ravenette in ways his friends couldn't be. So he didn't hesitate to ask Kevin for a ride, it was their mode of transportation that gave him _pause_.

"It'll be okay, Babe," Kevin said as reassuringly as possible as he took Edd by the hand and brought him into the house.

Edd just nodded as he went to the garage where their riding jackets, helmets and the _death trap_ known as _Little Red_ resided.

The ride to the mall was quick and painless. Once they got out of the cul-de-sac, Edd would relax and _enjoy the ride_.

"Want me to come pick you up?," Kevin asked as Edd disembarked.

Looking down at the helmet in his hands, Edd felt the need to hold on to it for some reason, so he said, _"Maybe_. I'll text you to be sure," as he leaned in for a kiss goodbye.

Kevin gently nipped his lip and he was gone with a wave.

* * *

Edd's shift at the Apple store went as most of shifts went. Calming frantic mother's of toddlers who had deleted _all_ of their pictures off their phone, upselling accessories to showy teenage girls, and explaining the difference between one generation of iPod and the next to the generally confused.

When he went on break, his phone was lit up with text messages, missed call alerts, voicemails, and Facebook messages. And they _all_ said _the same thing._

 _Kevin was in the hospital._

But Edd's manager was a stickler for people finishing their shifts, unless your child, _spouse_ or parents were the ones having the emergency, you couldn't get out of your shift.

So Edd made a desperate call. He hated to name drop or do anything that would call attention to others in a situation he knew he could handle himself. But this was not such a time.

 _*Ring, Ring*_

 _"Edd, son? Where are ya?,"_ Brian Barr asked. The poor man sounded frantic.

"I'm stuck at work, Mr Barr. My manager isn't going to let me off," Edd said as the tears started to fall.

Kevin was hurting and it was _killing_ Edd that he couldn't go be there for him.

 _"On my way."_

Mr Brian Barr was _that_ dad. He stood at 6'5 and weighed _at least_ 250lbs by Edd's best estimate. He gave Kevin his build, smile, red hair, green eyes and _personality_. He was kind to most, civil to all and those he held precious and dear you _did not fuck_ with. Edd knew it was going to be a disaster when he walked in the door to come get Edd and take him to the hospital, but with his stick in the mud manager on duty, the scholar knew he didn't have any other choice.

20 minutes later, Brian was in the store and _telling_ his manager that Edd would be leaving _now_ and that Edd would call when he was ready to go back on the schedule. The manager had the _nerve_ to tell him that he was going to remove him from the store if he didn't get out and stop harassing him and scaring the employees.

But when he said, "Eddward can _quit_ , if he thinks being with his _boyfriend_ is more important than working," Edd grabbed his things and walked up to them and said, "I'm ready when you are, Mr Barr."

Looking down on the boy that Kevin wouldn't shut up about, Brian couldn't have been happier that Kevin had fallen for someone like Edd. Edd's overall concern for Kevin's well-being, his kindness, his ability to be the coach Kevin never had but desperately needed when he needed it, and his _loyalty_. If Kevin didn't marry the boy someday, he'd have him committed.

"Let's go."

The 30 minute ride to the hospital was one of the worst Edd had ever taken. His nerves were shot. Brian didn't say anything about Kevin's condition as they were leaving, but Edd didn't mind at that moment. He just wanted to get to Kevin. But on the back of Brian's Sportster 1200, Edd had time to _think_ and sometimes Kevin was right. Thinking can make things worse. Especially for a worrywart like Edd.

* * *

When they got to the hospital, Brian wrapped an arm around the small teen's shoulders and guided him through the hospital, to the ICU. Even though the entire cul-de-sac was in the ICU's waiting room, Brian took Edd straight to Kevin's side. Thankfully, Edd's father was the head nurse on duty and let them in without issue. Since Kevin and Edd started dating, the two families were one.

Edd's mother was a pediatric surgeon, her specialty being heart patients. But anyone under 18 was a kid in her book and if she knows a kid needs care, she's there. She helped assemble a team of doctors to take care of Kevin, but sometimes, you just gotta wait things out.

"He's in a coma, Son," she said gently when Edd arrived and fresh tears sprang into her eyes as he choked back on sob upon seeing Kevin in the hospital bed.

Apparently, as Kevin was taking a left hand turn on a green light, a small delivery truck ran their red light and hit him and sent him and his motorcycle flying into oncoming traffic. His bike was destroyed, and the helmet saved his life, but the trauma was great. His left leg was broken in two places, his right arm was broken, and his left wrist was, too. He cracked three ribs and his head took a beating as he bounced around on cars and the ground.

Because of his young age, the doctors said his chances of survival were high, but his coma was just as much medically induced as it was his body's. He desperately needed rest to heal properly, but for how long was anyone's guess as the doctors were going to give him two weeks in a medical coma and ease him back into reality as best they could.

An hour after Edd arrived, the Apple _store manager_ called and said that he could take all the time off that he needed.

"And _Darren?,"_ he snapped.

Lynette sighed.

 _"If I can make it happen, I'll make sure you're never on the same shift with him again," s_ he said with a light laugh and Edd had to smile. _"Just do what you need to do, Edd. We'll be here when you're ready to come back, okay? Just take care of that boy of yours and yourself. That's all I ask."_

"I will. Thank you, Ms Blankstone."

With his job still in place, Edd had only one thing to worry about. But that _one thing_ seemed to not have a care in the world. His bruised face was blank, and he was only breathing because a respirator was helping him do so.

"Oh, Kevin," Edd sighed as the tears fell again.

But Kevin didn't respond. Edd just curled up in the chair next to him and held his hand as he fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of crushed motorcycles and emergency sirens.

Thanks to Edd's mom, Kevin had his own ICU room so the usual hustle and bustle didn't disturb the peace in Kevin's room. Edd never left his side. His mother would bring him a change of clothes every day, and his friends would come as often as they could, but for _three weeks_ nothing changed.

As he always did when Kevin's morning nurse came in, Edd went to take a shower. And just as he turned off the water, he heard Kevin's voice softly croak out, _"He what?!"_

Edd _froze._

 _Kevin was awake._

And he sounded happy about _something._

Quickly getting dressed, he slowly opened the bathroom door, and was greeted by a smiling Nurse Ruthie and a _beaming_ Kevin.

"Hey, D."

* * *

It took another two weeks before Kevin was good enough to go home and by then he was on a walking boot, brace for his wrist, and a sling for his arm. And what always floored him was that Edd hadn't left his side. _Loyalty_ like this deserved _something_. But _what?_

On their six month anniversary, they went out to eat and to the Harley-Davidson store in the city to get Kevin a new helmet and jacket. But it was Edd's gift that Kevin would carry for the rest of his life.

 _Medical ID dogtags_.

"I almost lost you. I cannot allow that to happen again," Edd told him when gave him the gift. "At least this way, they can contact _me_ _first_ if _something_ happens again."

"You've got it, Babe," Kevin said as he leaned in for kiss that Edd lovingly returned.

Two months later, when Kevin got his Velocity Red Harley Roadster, he took Edd on a long ride into the hills that surrounded Peach Creek. When they got to their favorite look-out point, Kevin brought out a picnic lunch he had packed and they took the afternoon to _just be_.

Then Kevin asked, "What time is it?"

Edd checked his watch that Kevin gave him for their six month anniversary and said, "415. Why?"

"One year ago today, at 415, I asked if you would go out with me. So I thought I'd ask you another question."

Edd was nervous because Kevin was looking so serious, but he could tell he was nervous. His eyes had that same pleading look in them when he asked him out.

"What's on your mind, Kev?"

 _He called him, 'Kev.'_

Kevin took a small ring box out of his pocket and opened it. Nestled inside was a sterling silver band with one simple sapphire stone set in the middle of it.

"You said that you almost lost me and got me my tags to make sure that it never happened again. I need you to wear this ring so I don't lose you. I know it's not much and _I swear_ I'll get you the one you deserve _someday,_ but for _now_ , I just need to know if you'll stay with me. _Please, D?"_

And just like the first time Kevin asked Edd to walk by his side, Edd is at a loss for words.

Looking between Kevin and the ring, he stammers, "Y-You want…?... _Me?_...Whaaaa now?"

The tears are flowing and then the giggles come and Kevin smiles.

"Lord, you're gonna be a mess when I _really_ propose, aren't ya?," he asks softly as he draws Edd into his lap, and wipes his tears away.

Edd nods as he lets out a couple of small sobs. But he quickly composes himself and sits up and says, "I'd _love_ to stay with you."

"For real?!"

"For real."

"Forever?"

"And ever and a day."

Kevin quickly drew him into a hug and whispered, "I love you, Dork."

"I love you, too, Kev."

Ring in place, they head back to Peach Creek to start living out their _forever and ever and a day._


End file.
